Strategic surnames: how early Republican Turkish elites signaled status and Republican allegiance through surname choices

Turkey's 1934 Surname Law, mandating fixed surnames, coincided with the peak of the Language Reform, aimed at ``purifying'' Turkish vocabulary. This created a natural experiment where name choices reflected orientation toward the modernizing state. Viewing surnames as signs with ideological and personal significance, I explored how these choices reflected positions on nationalism, identity, and strategies for claiming status and building reputation. I analyzed surname patterns among political elites (4,873 individuals, 1927-1949) and a populace sample using thematic coding and frequency analysis. Elites disproportionately chose surnames featuring newly coined ``Pure Turkish'' words, Old Turkish etymology, and innovative linguistic structures, emphasizing themes of military, heritage, and social status. The general population maintained traditional naming patterns, favoring references to natural elements, physical traits, and occupations. This study reveals how personal choices like surnames can expose alignment with political projects, showing how elites strategically used naming to signal status and ideological commitment.